Portable head-best



UNITED srn rns ra rawr @FMCE.

ALLEN B. WILSON, OF \VATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

PORTABLE HEAD-REST.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 16,300, dated December 23, 1856.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLEN B. WILSON, of l/Vaterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Portable Head-Rest for Travelers and Others; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1, is a side View and Fig. 2, a front view, showing its use by a sleeping railroad traveler who is sketched in red outline so as to allow the whole of the head rest to be conspicuously shown.

This invention consists in a head rest so constructed as tobe worn or supported upon the back or shoulders and to support the head independently of and without any attachment to the seat or any other object.

A, represents a pad of such size and shape as to rest upon the upper part of the human back and shoulders.

B, represents another pad of such form as to fit the back of the head and c, c, are supports secured to the pads A, and B, in such form and manner that when the pad A, rests upon the back and shoulders, the pad B, will form a convenient rest for the head when the latter is thrown slightly backward.

D, is a sling connected by straps a, and b,

with both pads, intended to hang down in front of the person, to receive one of the arms, the weight of which, resting in the said sling serves to keep the head rest in its pro-per place and condition. The arm is intended to be supported by this sling, in a position to cover and protect the vest and breast pockets from robbery on rail road cars and in other places where a person may be sleeping in a sitting posture.

The pads and supports may be made in various ways, but I prefer to make the pads flexible and to use for supports a number of independent or unconnected ribs 0, 0, made of wire as shown, or of any light metal that the sling to be ready for use.

will give them some elasticity, the said ribs to be stitched or sewn into the pads nearly parallel with each other.

This construction makes the head rest easy to wear and also provides for its being rolled up into a small compass to carry in the pocket or in a valise. The pads may, however, be constructed on rigid plates or frames.

This head rest possesses advantages over those which require to be attached to a seat, or to some fixed object. In the first place it is more convenient as it only requires to be put on over the head and the arm placed in In the next place, itacconnnodates itself to any change of position of the body that may be desired or that may occur during sleep in a sitting posture. It also avoids the injury to the seats and other portions of rail road cars that is consequent upon the attachment of other portable head rests.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A head rest composed of a pad or other piece to rest upon the back and shoulders or either, supporting a pad of proper form to receive the back of the head, as herein described, or otherwise constructed in a substantially similar manner to support the head without any attachmentto the seat or to any fixed object.

2. Making the said head rest with its pads flexible and its supports consisting of a number of independent or unconnected ribs 0, c, substantially as herein specified, so as to give the greatest ease to the wearer and enable it to be rolled or folded up when not in use.

3. The sling combined with the head. rest specified to receive the arm for the two purposes of keeping the rest in place and protecting the pockets.

ALLEN B. VVILS ON.

\Vitnesses Rona". V. VRIGHT, JAs. R. AYRES. 

